


Coming Undone

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio), Gallifrey (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Emotions, F/M, Fluff, Introspection, Kissing, Love, Narvin Is Confused, No Plot/Plotless, One Shot, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26146138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: Narvin and Leela are off exploring a new alternate Gallifrey when they're suddenly confronted with their feelings for each other.
Relationships: Leela (Doctor Who)/Narvin (Doctor Who)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 7





	1. Helpless (Narvin)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so in love with Leela and Narvin it's probably unhealthy but anyway, here's this!

Narvin didn’t understand how it happened when the whole mission started out so careful.

Having found no answers outside the Capitol on yet another alternate Gallifrey, Narvin and Leela had decided to infiltrate the city itself to find answers. Narvin’s intimate knowledge of the Capitol’s layout was proved useful in this version of Gallifrey, as all of the backdoors, tunnels, and hidden passageways were nearly identical to those back home. After so many mishaps, they had decided it was better not to be seen until they determined the exact nature of this Gallifrey.

So they were careful. Very careful. Narvin walked stealthily, trying to make as little sound as possible. Beside him, Leela was utterly silent. If his heightened senses couldn’t hear her breathing, he would have been constantly checking his side to make sure she was still there.

They hardly even spoke to each other. When there was an abrupt change in direction, Narvin would take Leela’s arm, just for a moment, to guide her in the right direction. Other than that, there was no contact, no communication. They hadn’t come across anyone yet, but only now were they actually entering the Capitol itself.

The stillness of the familiar corridors put Narvin on edge. Was this Gallifrey completely deserted?

Suddenly, Narvin realised that Leela was no longer beside him. Before he even had time to pause, a hand was on his back. A moment later, fingers fisted in his collar. He was abruptly pulled backwards and all he could do was choke out a gasp as his own uniform strangled him.

He was rapidly dragged into an adjoining passageway and his back pushed up against a wall. He was facing his assailant now—Leela, of course—and he opened his mouth to voice the obvious question. She slapped her hand over his lips. Though her eyes were hidden, the firm set of her lips clearly told him to stay still and silent.

Narvin wanted to protest, but Leela wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. Her chin was raised, head slightly cocked, listening.

Then Narvin heard it. Footsteps. Voices. Coming closer, but down the corridor they’d been walking down only a microspan earlier. However, he couldn’t look see who the voices belonged to from here. An indent from the wall hid them from view, which had obviously been Leela’s point in dragging him here. How had she known where to hide?

But he didn’t dare speak now, as the voices were close. Narvin held his breath, hoping they wouldn’t walk towards them. However, the voices continued on past them. One of them sounded vaguely familiar, but he didn’t give enough brainpower to trying to figure out why. Instead, he was watching Leela. For once he thought it was a good thing she couldn’t see him because she’d ask what he was staring at. And the truth was that he didn’t know. Or maybe he _did,_ but he didn’t want to admit to it.

Because at such close proximity, her face only inches from his, Narvin couldn’t help but study her hair, noticing how it glinted red in the light overhead. His eyes travelled to her lips, purely because it was the clearest way to read her expression, of course. He noted her tanned skin, a rich beige colour that one didn’t see often on Gallifrey; it wasn’t like anyone in the Capitol really spent time outside.

Finally, Leela slowly removed her hand from his face. Narvin blinked and came back to reality, realising that the voices were, indeed, completely gone. His moment of study was over.

“You could have simply told me people were coming,” he hissed.

“I did not want to speak in case they should hear. Besides, it was quicker this way.” The tremble of her lips betrayed her; she was trying not to smile. She had _enjoyed_ that, had probably even counted on it irritating him.

He started to straighten his uniform, only to realise that Leela was still pinning him to the wall by his shoulder. He wondered if she had forgotten she was still holding onto him. He didn’t want to tell her to let go, because then she’d step away from him and he wouldn’t be able to study her so closely.

“How did you know where to go, anyway?” he asked, prolonging the moment. He tried not to make a habit of drawing attention to her blindness, but he was rather curious.

“You said that this Capitol is nearly identical to ours. I remembered the depressions in the corridors and knew there would be one nearby.”

She really _was_ clever, however much they derided her sometimes.

Finally, her grip on his shoulder eased. Narvin felt a strange sense of disappointment as she took a step back.

He grabbed her hand. Stopped her. Leela’s eyebrows mashed together and she frowned.

Narvin was aware of what holding hands meant to other races, specifically humans. It was a sign of affection and love.

He was holding her hand. She wasn’t pulling away.

The warmth from her touch seemed to radiate up his arm and travel through his entire body in a moment. All of this was too strange and he didn’t know what any of it meant—

He let go of her and cleared his throat. “Shall we, ah, continue?”

Leela didn’t move. _Why_ didn’t she move?

“No,” she said decidedly. “We will not continue until you tell me why you took my hand.”

Narvin held his tongue so he wouldn’t splutter, planning out his entire response in his mind before he spoke. His heartbeats picked up and thudded in his ears. The corridor just kept getting warmer and he felt like he was melting inside his stifling uniform.

“I wanted to make sure they were really gone before you walked out there.”

“My hearing is better than yours. They are gone.”

“Good. Then we can get going.” Was it his imagination, or was there a touch of hysteria in his voice? What was _wrong_ with him? Was he ill?

Leela still didn’t move. Instead, she took his hand. It was probably meant to calm and reassure him; no doubt she had heard the agitation in his voice.

But it didn’t really matter what her reason was because, in a moment, he was undone.

Rational thought was abandoned first. He pulled her toward him, but she didn’t stumble at the sudden movement. Her footing was sure, almost as if she had been expecting his pull.

Next went reason. He brushed her hair back from her face and it was _soft._ He’d never imagined the strands would feel so delicate falling past his fingertips.

A panicked voice in the back of his mind screamed. _Why isn’t she pulling her knife on me? Why isn’t she hurling me onto the floor?_ He wanted her to stop this, perhaps because he knew that there was no longer any chance he could stop himself.

Yet, she simply stood. He wished that he could see into her eyes and figure out what she was thinking. This was quite literally flirting with danger; Leela could stab him through both hearts in the time it would take him to blink.

But the warrior was still. She was _letting_ him touch her. Why, he couldn’t even begin to guess. He looked to her lips for help. Was she frowning in anger? Smiling in amusement?

It was a mistake.

The next thing he knew, her lips were on his. He couldn’t even remember how it happened because his senses exploded. She was warm, so warm, _too_ warm for his own cool body. Something ran through his bloodstream—a rush, a buzz, a thrill—something that made him hyper-sensitive to every touch.

Their fingers were still intertwined and she was squeezing his hand. Her other hand touched his cheek and it felt like an electric shock. She pushed her lips insistently to his, and reality flooded back in just long enough for Narvin to notice that he’d gone completely slack.

At that moment, reason tried to come back and tell him to stop before it was too late to take it back.

Leela pulled away from him but he could still feel her breath. He suddenly realised his eyes were closed—when had he done that?

“Narvin?”

Leela’s voice was barely a whisper, barely even a breath, but it was loud enough to restart his hearts. He wound an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, and this time he didn’t waste his chance. He kissed her until he lost track of time, kissed her until he couldn’t breathe, kissed her until all he could feel was her lips and the scalding heat. Her calloused hands were rough, her lips were chapped, and her hair was still so soft. Leela, an enigma, a savage, an alien.

Leela, the only one who had ever made his hearts beat like this.

Narvin wasn’t sure when they separated, but he found his forehead resting against hers as they caught their breath. Both of his arms were around her now and both of her hands were on his chest, just over his hearts.

Eventually, Leela tilted her chin like she was looking up at him and asked, “Shall we continue?” Her lips formed a self-satisfied smirk.

It took Narvin too long to realise that she was throwing his own words back at him. It took even longer for him to realise that she was talking about the mission and not snogging against the wall.

Narvin wasn’t sure he could speak even if he wanted to. It was like she had stolen every breath, every word that would ever pass his lips. What could he even say?

“What…just happened?” His voice was much breathier and more helpless than he would have liked.

Leela grinned. _Grinned!_ She thought this was funny, while he was swimming in confusion and emotion and Rassilon knew what else.

“I cannot see,” she said slowly as if she were explaining to someone exceptionally stupid, “but it _felt_ like you kissed me.”

Yes, he’d been rather afraid of that. He’d actually done it. In fact, he was still holding her. He should stop.

He didn’t stop.

“Narvin?” All teasing vanished from her face. Her fingertips ran along his jawline and he leaned into her touch. “You are scared.”

“Scared?” Suddenly he realised he was shaking, his jaw trembling and his fingers quivering against her back. _Why_ was he shaking?

“You do not need to be,” she said softly.

How could he explain to her how much he feared the unknown? How could he tell her that he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d felt like this? In one way it was like he barely knew her, but in another way, he knew that she understood him completely. They had been through so much together in such a brief amount of time.

Maybe she was right, and he didn’t have to be scared. Maybe he could tell her about his fears.

But later, when they weren’t literally in the middle of possible danger.

He took her hand from his face and placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “Come on. We should get going.”

She kept her hand in his.

He didn’t let go.


	2. Magnets (Leela)

Leela didn’t know how Narvin had come undone so quickly when he had started out their mission with such careful restraint.

They had decided to visit yet another alternate Gallifrey without Romana, who was still mourning the loss of Braxiatel and blaming herself for what had happened. While Leela missed her friend’s presence, she knew that she simply needed some time on her own. Hopefully, when she and Narvin got back, Romana would be in better spirits.

If not, Leela was already working out a plan of how to goad her back into action.

As it was, Narvin had stressed to Leela more times than was necessary how careful they needed to be while infiltrating this version of the Capitol. He led her confidently through open areas and then more confined spaces, his sure steps never wavering. Occasionally he would take her arm and turn her in the right direction, but that was all the contact they had. Leela was grateful that he didn’t insult her by trying to do more. He understood that she was capable of handling herself.

Finally they reached a place that smelled familiar: the very heart of the Capitol. She was surprised at the lack of activity; back on their Gallifrey, there would always be people bustling up and down the corridors. But Leela sensed that everything was utterly still.

Narvin was obviously trying to be silent, but Leela could hear his footsteps as loud as thunderclaps. One day, she’d have to give him a lesson on real stealth.

Suddenly, Leela heard the murmuring of voices from far away. She paused, letting Narvin walk ahead a few steps so she could hear better. Yes, there were definitely people coming their way.

Without missing a beat she leapt forward and tried to grab Narvin’s collar, but missed and simply touched his back instead. She slid her hand upwards until she could grip his uniform around his neck. The voices were getting closer. Without any further ado she tugged him toward her, hearing him struggle to breathe for a moment. She sensed open air by her side: another corridor. Still dragging Narvin with one hand, she trailed her fingertips against the wall with her other hand until—

 _Ah,_ there it was. Her mind filled in what her eyes couldn’t see: one of the frequent spaces in the corridor where the walls dipped in, just like they did back on their Gallifrey. She had always wondered what they were for, and now she knew. They were for hiding.

She pushed Narvin against the wall—accidentally a little too roughly, as the wall was closer than she’d thought—but he didn’t exclaim in pain so she hoped that meant he was all right. However, a moment later she did hear a swift intake of breath like he was going to speak and she promptly clapped a hand over his mouth. She seemed to have hit her trajectory just right because she could feel his warm breath against her palm. She fixed him with a look—as well as she could without actually seeing him—and tried to listen. The voices were approaching.

But she was slightly distracted by Narvin’s easy breathing. She was pressed up close to him just to be safe, as she was unsure of exactly how far the wall jutted out. However, she was sure that if she was in danger, Narvin would make sure she got out of sight. He had to hear the people coming by now.

And that was just it: she trusted him. She knew that if her judgment failed her, he would protect her. And apparently he trusted her enough to allow her to hold him captive like this. His breathing remained steady—comfortable, even—against her hand.

The footsteps came closer. Leela knew it was a possibility they would turn down this corridor, which was why she was already calculating how quickly she could let go of Narvin and grab her knife.

But the voices passed by. Leela breathed out a sigh of relief and relaxed, drawing her hand away from Narvin’s face. She knew that the moment he was able to talk again, he’d say something like—

“You could have simply told me people were coming.” His voice was saturated with irritation.

Leela tried not to smile, but it was nearly impossible when she had predicted his actions so precisely. “I did not want to speak in case they should hear. Besides, it was quicker this way.” _And much more fun._

She felt the tugging of fabric underneath her grasp and realised she was still holding him to the wall. She was still standing close, too, so much so that they were nearly sharing breath.

“How did you know where to go, anyway?”

She knew he wasn’t trying to be intentionally cruel about her lack of sight. His voice simply carried curiosity, and perhaps a hint of something else she couldn’t quite place yet.

“You said that this Capitol is nearly identical to ours. I remembered the depressions in the corridors and knew there would be one nearby.”

She finally let go of his shoulder, as she anticipated he would insist they should get on with the mission. She turned and expected to hear his footsteps following.

Instead, his hand grasped hers.

She froze. Despite the fact that she couldn’t see, she still looked sharply in his direction. She’d thought she’d sensed something else in the way he’d been acting for the past minute or so, and it seemed maybe she’d been right. But she wanted to be sure.

Before she could ask, he dropped her hand. She nearly scoffed. Did he think she was going to let him get away with that?

Narvin cleared his throat. _He is uncomfortable. He took my hand without thinking._

Now that was strange. Narvin never did _anything_ without calculating every single possibility first.

“Shall we, ah, continue?” There was clear reluctance in his voice.

Leela stayed put. Oh no, he was _definitely_ not getting away with that.

“No. We will not continue until you tell me why you took my hand.”

There was a long silence that all but confirmed Leela’s suspicions. Her heartbeat quickened. She felt anticipation clench in her gut. She edged closer to him again.

 _Magnet._ She remembered the Doctor explaining the concept, the two opposites attracting themselves to each other. That was her and Narvin, she realised. So different in so many ways, and yet each time they were thrown together it was proved more and more just how alike they were.

“I wanted to make sure they were really gone before you walked out there.”

Leela almost laughed at how pathetic the fake explanation sounded, especially after the stillness when he had clearly thought extensively about his answer.

“My hearing is better than yours. They are gone.”

“Good.” His voice pitched a little higher. _Desperate._ But desperate for what? “Then we can get going.”

She didn’t go anywhere. She could sense in his words that he didn’t really have the intention of moving either.

She couldn’t see this moment, but she could _feel_ it, down to her very bones. This was pivotal. This would change everything.

Leela wished she could see his face. She actually _missed_ it. She tried to imagine his look of anxiety and apprehension and it pained her that she couldn’t quite complete it.

Narvin remained stock still. This moment was her choice. She could walk away. He wouldn’t stop her again. Or, she could do the opposite and take one step closer.

She hadn’t expected to have to make this choice so soon. She knew herself. She knew that she’d grown from hating Narvin, to tolerating him, to liking him, and now…to what? Caring for him? Loving him?

After Andred, she’d never thought… But Andred was gone. Yes, those feelings were still with her, a memory of him that she’d carry always. But it didn’t mean that her capacity to love was gone or that it had somehow run out. She still had room for more.

She reached out, grasping the air in search of Narvin’s hand. Her fingers bumped into his and she held them gently. She didn’t know exactly what it meant—simply reassurance or something more—but it was Narvin’s turn to move.

And move he did.

He gripped her hand tightly and pulled her towards him, but Leela had already been ready to take another step in his direction so she followed his pull easily. His breaths puffed out short and uneven, but belying his obvious agitation his fingertips brushed lightly against her cheek, gently shifting her hair. The simple touch sent her to pieces more than she’d care to admit and her breathing hitched almost inaudibly. His fingers stroked through her hair carefully like she was something that would break. She could show him in a split second just how _un_ breakable she was, but she didn’t need to. She knew that he understood she wasn’t fragile, and that made his gentle movements all the more meaningful.

But then his restraint seemed to give way entirely to something much more passionate. He used his hand on the back of her head to pull her forward and crash her lips into his. Leela leaned into him eagerly and touched his cheek, trying to perfectly remember his face.

But maybe that was too much, because Narvin went completely still.

She listened for a moment. Yes, he was definitely still breathing, though rather erratically. She squeezed his hand that was still linked with hers. When he still didn’t respond, she pulled away, stealing a soft kiss on his lips.

“Narvin?” She barely spoke at all, because he was so close that she hardly needed to use her voice.

Something changed, because in a moment his arm was around her waist and pulling her flush against him. For once she _wasn’t_ prepared for his every movement as he pressed kiss after kiss to her lips, hardly giving her time to catch up.

But she did catch up. She held his face in her hands, trying to calm him, being delicate because this wasn’t something she wanted to rush. His other arm joined the first, holding her to him like he couldn’t get enough of her.

 _“Leela.”_ He breathed out her name as she’d never heard him say it before, sending her heartbeat dancing in a much more rapid rhythm. She suddenly understood his earlier desperation, because now she was the one feeling desperate as she fisted his collar for the second time that day to force their lips impossibly closer.

But his kisses slowed, his arms around her eased, and finally he pulled away and touched his forehead to hers. Their heavy breaths mingled in the space between them. Leela placed her hands over his hearts, feeling them beat rapidly underneath her palms. She had to smile as she realised that she had ruffled Narvin like no one else could.

She pulled back and looked up where she imagined his eyes were. “Shall we continue?” she asked in a mockery of his earlier words.

Several seconds of silence ticked by. Leela almost giggled but held it back. She could picture his expression, completely bewildered.

“What…just happened?” he asked breathlessly.

Leela felt her smile grow wider. It was like she had entirely broken him. Time lords were so silly, doubting their senses and trying to rationalise every single action with their science.

“I cannot see,” she told him, talking to him like she would a child, “but it _felt_ like you kissed me.”

He still didn’t move. Leela’s humour vanished in an instant. She wanted to see his face and understand what he was feeling.

“Narvin?” She reached up to touch his cheek again but felt his jaw instead. She traced his jawline gently, feeling some of his facial muscles relax underneath her touch. But there was a tremor running through his body. Even his fingers splayed across her back were quivering. “You are scared.”

What was he scared of? Her? Himself? Or maybe, as she had observed many times, time lords distanced themselves from their emotions so much that when they finally gave way to them, it was more than they could handle.

“Scared?” He continued to shake.

“You do not need to be.” She continued tracing his face with the gentlest of touches, finding the ridge of his nose, his cheeks, his chin, his lips. She committed the feel of them to memory, because that was all she had now. Her memories of his face may fade, but if she could memorise how he _felt…_

She silently pleaded with him to trust her. Did he understand that she wanted to know his fear so she could discover how to battle it? Did he know that she would stay with him, help him, calm him in whatever ways she could?

Narvin gently removed her hand from his face and pressed his lips to her knuckles. “Come on. We should get going.” In his tone wasn’t a dismissal, but a promise. He was right, of course. They had been standing in one place for far too long and they still knew very little about this Gallifrey. Later, when they got back to the Axis, there would be time for talking.

But for the moment, he kept his hand in hers.

She didn’t let go.


End file.
